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Costa Rica

Having just landed at San José airport in Costa Rica on a late September evening, it strikes me how warm it is when someone exclaims: “Pura vida!” My welcome committee, a gay man who moved to Costa Rica to be with his partner, spots my confused look and enthusiastically tells me that the expression means “pure life”.

Apparently it is something locals say to almost everything. Jet-lagged, I make a mental note to figure that one out later on and instead I focus on getting a grasp

of the city I have landed in.

The taxi driver zooms through what, at night, looks like a pretty tired, run-down town made of concrete houses, and it strikes me that, much like others had told me before going, the capital is far from conventionally pretty. It does have its charm, that I can see even in the dark; and whilst I am not here to explore the city or its 12 gay bars this time, I make another mental note to do so next time I visit. Opening the curtains of my hotel room the following morning, I get more of a sense of what is to come.

The landscape outside is overwhelmingly green, wet from recent rainfall, and birds are singing nearby. Breakfast, served in an air-conditioned restaurant next to the pool outside, consists of fresh mango, fried plantain, soft bread and gallo pinto – the traditional rice and black beans dish so good my mouth is watering just thinking about it, not to mention strong, deliciously black coffee. As I travel around Costa Rica in the days to come, this breakfast remains a constant – the scenery, however, is ever-changing.

About DIVA Magazine

We’ve scored big this month, netting a photo shoot with WNBA legend Sue Bird. In an exclusive cover interview with DIVA editor Carrie Lyell, Bird opens up about her 15 seasons in the league, her relationship with US soccer star Megan Rapinoe, and tells us why it’s taken her until now to talk publicly about her sexuality.
Also in this issue…
DIVA Power List 2017: Who are your movers and shakers of the past 12 month?
“I could fall in love with anybody” - singer songwriter Rae Morris chats to DIVA’s Roxy Bourdillon about sexual fluidity
Model Queers: We meet the badass women challenging beauty ideals
Lucie Barât: “We’re all rock and roll”
She shoots, she scores: We catch up with gifted striker Lianne Sanderson
The family who play together: Some of our favourite sportswomen thank their loved ones
Do you speak #Lesmoji? Try our film quiz.
PLUS: Travel, family, reviews and more!